Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe has appointed Sammie Arnold as assistant commissioner of Community and Rural Development.
Arnold previously served as assistant commissioner of Strategy and Legislative Affairs.
Arnold said some of the state’s rural counties are struggling with more than just business recruitment. He said agriculture and tourism are important parts of development and the invasive asian carp species is negatively affecting tourism in rural counties surrounding Kentucky Lake.
“Tournaments that we’ve been able to lure to Kentucky Lake are now locating elsewhere because our fish are not growing as big because of the asian carp issue,” Arnold said.
Arnold has been involved in rural development for years through his work on the rural economic opportunity act and the broadband accessibility act. He said Stewart, Houston and Benton counties are some of the lowest broadband attainment counties in the state. He said he hopes to increase broadband accessibility in his new role.
“We are big believers that broadband is a great, very crucial driver for the economy today,” Arnold said.
Governor Bill Lee’s first executive order issued last week requires state departments to write a statement of rural impact and ways to serve rural Tennessee. Arnold said Lee’s focus is on the state’s fifteen economically distressed counties. In northwestern Tennessee, the Appalachian Regional Commission lists Stewart, Houston, Benton, Weakley and Obion counties as part of the state’s 29 economically at-risk counties.